Ho model



PATENTED PEB.16,1904.. I T. 0. DEXTER; V

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00125, 1902.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1m MODEL .PATENTED FEB. 16 1904,

"L0. DEXTER. SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLIUATI ON FILED OUT. 25, 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

T. 0. DEXTER. SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

N0 MODHIJ.

QRM. n ewes UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

TALBOT C. DEXTER, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK.

SHEET-CONVEYING IVIACHINE.

' srnorncn'rron Application fine. October 25, 1902'.

press, folding-machine, ruling-machine, or

other machine designed to operate upon sheets of paper.

The sheet-conveyor of my present invention comprises an adjustable set of sheet-carrying belts or tapes for taking the successive sheets from the feeding-machine and delivering them upon the feed-board, in combination with a plurality of parallel series of antifrictionroll-' ers supported between the delivery-roller of the sheet-carrying tapes and the register end of the feed-board. These series of antifriction-rollers are journaled in suitable supporting-bars which extend longitudinally of the machine, the delivery-tapes overlapping the antifriction-rollers, so as to deposit the successive sheets upon them. Suitable means are provided for clamping any desired number of antifriction-rollers against rotation for the purpose of retarding the progress of a sheet to a greater or less extent.

In addition to the sheet-carrying tapes and series of antifriction-rollers referred to I prefer to employ the improved drop-roller mechanism'covered by my application, Serial No. 128,715, filed of even date herewith.

In order that my invention may be fully un derstood, I will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of my improved sheet-conveying machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, on a larger scale, of one of the series of antifriction-rollers. Fig. '4=is a detail plan view of two of the series of antifriction-rollers. Fig. 5 is a deforming part of Letters Patent No. 752,381, dated. February 16, 1904.

Serial No. 128,712. (No model.)

tail sectional elevation of a modified arrange ment of sheet-carrying tapes.

1 represents the impression-cylinder, 2 the front gage, 3 the under guides, and 4 the feed board, of aprinting-press.

5 represents part of the frame of an automatic paper-feeding machine.

6 is the feeding-machine tape-roller driven by a part of the feeding-machine in a manner well understood.

10 represents the side bars of the frame which supports the sheet-conveying mechanism which carries the successive sheets from the feeding-machine to the printing-press or other machine. mounted upon the feeding-machine frame at 11 and carry upon their forward ends the side brackets 12, upon which are mounted the side registering mechanism ,(not shown) and as press-controlling devices, which are partly indicated, but not described in detail, since they do not form any part of my present invention. These side brackets 12 rest upon the feedboard I and also carry the metal plates or bars 7 5, which form an incline leading from the delivery-roller to the gage end of the-feedboard.

15 indicates one of a pair of adjustable brackets on carriages which are mounted upon the side bars 10 and are provided with set serews 16 for clamping them in the desired adjusted position upon the side bars. Freely journaled in these brackets-0r carriages 15 and extending from side to side of the ma-' respectively, in the adjustable pairs of brack- These'bars 10 are pivotally ets or carriages 23 and 24. These brackets or carriages 23 and 24 are mounted upon the side bars 10 of the conveyor-frame, set-screws 25' being threaded into the carriages 23 to engage the side bars 10 and hold the said carriages 5 By adjusting the carriages 24 upon connecting-rods 26 the tape-roller 22 can be moved toward or away from the tape-roller 21 for loosening or tightening the tapes 20. By means of the adjusting-screw 25 both sets of I carriages 23 24 can be adjusted in the plane of feed by sliding upon the side bars 10. This adjustment is for the purpose of bringing the delivery tape-roller 21 nearer to or farther from the registering-gages of the press or I other macnine to which the conveying mechanism is applied.

The tapes are driven by means of aband or tape 30, passing around the roller 22 and roller 6, the intermediate pulleys 31 32 and 20 belt-tightening pulley 33 carrying the weight 34. The upper carrying portion of tapes 20 is in the same plane as the carrying portion of tapes 18, and the tape-roller 22 is arranged between tape-rollers 6 and 17, so that tapes 2O 5 are interlapped with tapes 18 and can be adjusted in the plane of feed without interfering with the feeding relation between the tapes. Friction-rollers 40 are journaled in the free 1 ends of pivoted arms 41, mounted on rock- 3 arms 42, depending from an adjustable shaft 43, which is mounted in bracket-arms 44, ex- 7 tending up from the side bars 10. These friction-rollers 40 are arranged above the delivery tape-roller 21 to confine the sheets thereon as they pass from the second set of tapes 20 to the supporting rods or bars, which will presently be explained. By adjusting the shaft 43 the friction-rollers may be moved forwardly or backwardly upon the tape-roller 21 4 to cause the leading edge of the sheets to be deflected more or less toward the rods orbars upon which they are deposited.

A series of pairs of parallel plates or bars 60 are formed with hook ends 61, which en- 45 gage the rods 62, which are secured between the side bars '10 of the conveyer-frame and extend transversely of the machine. These plates or bars 60 carry a series of journal-pins 65, upon which are freely mounted a series of 5 antifriction-rollers 66, arranged with their peripheries projecting slightly above the supporting-bars 60.

The antifriction -rollers 60 have a larger space between them at intervals, as indicated at 67, and located in said spaces are threaded bolts 68, which pass through suitable openings in the side bars and receive on their threaded ends wing-nuts 69, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. In the normal relation of 60 the parts all of the antifriction-rollers 66 are free to rotate upon their journals. If it should be desired to secure some of the antifriction-rollers against rotation, so as to increase the retarding effect upon the passing sheets of paper, one or more of the wing-nuts 69 is screwed upon its supporting-bolt 68, with the result that the plates or bars 60 will be forced inwardly to clamp the adjacent antifriction-rollers and hold them against rotation.

The sheets delivered from the carryingtapes fall upon the parallel series of antifriction-rollers and pass freely over them to the delivery-feed-roller mechanism, which I will now refer to.

Just in front of the forward ends of the series of antifriction-rollers is mounted a freelyj ournaled under feed-roller 70, which is formed at intervals with peripheral grooves 71 for the purpose which will presently appear. This lower feed-roller 7 O is positively driven by any suitable means, (not shown,) such as by a driving-belt connecting it with any rotating part of the machine.

75 75 are a plurality of plates or bars formed with central lugs 76, projecting from their lower surfaces and by which they are pivotally mounted upon a transverse rod or bar 77, mounted in the brackets 12. These plates or bars 75 rest in inclined position just above the gage end of the feed-bar, their rear ends being formed with downwardly-curved fingers 78, which curve around and rest in the peripheral grooves 71 of the under feed-roller 70.

is a rock-shaft suitably journaled in the brackets 81, mounted upon the side bars 10. This rock-shaft 80 carries two or more roclrarms 83, which are keyed to the shaft and project forwardly therefrom and are formed with yoke-shaped forward ends 84, in which are mounted the journal pins or shafts 85. These journal pins or shafts support a heavy metal'roller 86 and a light wooden roller 87, which operate in conjunction with the lower feed-roller 7 O in a manner similar to drop-rollers. The metal roller 86 fits snugly upon its journal or shaft 85, so that it will follow the movement of said journal toward and away from the lower feed-roller 7 O. The wooden roller 87 is formed with a journal-opening of considerably larger diameter than its supporting-shaft 85, so that it may move eccentrically upon shaft 85 and still remain in frictional contact with the roller 70 or the sheet passing thereover after the shaft 85 is raised slightly away from the under feed-roller.

The rock-shaft 80 carries an upwardly-extending rock arm 88, which is connected through a rod 89 with the lower end of a lever 90, pivoted to the feeding-machine frame at 91 and carrying in its upper end an antifriction-roller 92, which operates upon the periphery of a cam 93. A spring 94 connects lever with the feeding-machine frame for holding the lever in operative relation to its cam 93. The cam 93 may be mounted upon the main cam-shaft of the feeding-machine or upon any other rotating part of said machine. This improved drop-roller mechanism forms no part of my present invention, but is broadly claimed in my above-named application, Serial No. 128,715. The rock-shaft also carries the forwardly-projecting rock-arms 95, in the forward ends of which are mounted pins 96, which work in the elongated slots 97 formed in the upper ends of arms 98, extending up from a rod 99, which rests beneath the series of pivotally-mounted sheet-supporting plates or bars 7 5.

The operation of the machine will be understood with but a few words of explanation. The second set of tapes 20 are adjusted longitudinally of the conveyer-frame to bring the delivery-tape roller 21 the proper distance away from the front gages 2 to accommodate the length of sheets which are to be fed. Sheets are conveyed from the-automatic feeding-machine by the conveyer-belts 18 and 20 to the series of antifriction-rollers 66, the final impulse to the successive sheets being given by the delivery-roller 21, into engagement with which the sheet is held by the drop-rollers 40. The leading edge of each sheet overlaps the final edge of the succeeding sheet to facilitate rapidity in feeding. The impulse of the sheet when it leaves the delivery-roller 21 is regulated by the adjustment of the antifrictionrollers 66, a sufficient number of them being clamped against rotation to afford the proper resistance to the moving sheet to insure its reaching the front gages and at the same time preventing its moving so rapidly that it will rebound or buckle. The operation of the drop-roller mechanism covered by my abovenamed application, Serial No. 128,715, is fully described in said case.

As a modification of the arrangement of the sheet-carrying tapes I may employ the construction shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, in which a single set of tapes is used. In this modification 100 is the feeder-tape roller, as in the preferred form. 101 and 102 are adjustable carriages connected by the rods 103 and carrying tape-rollers 10 1 and 105, and 106 is another adjustable carriage carrying a taperoller 107, and 108 is an idler-roller. 110 indicates a series of endless belts. These belts pass from roller 100 to roller 104:, then roller 108, then around roller 105, then around roller 107, back to roller 100. The carriage 106 is adjusted merely for the purpose of tightening the tapes. The delivery-roller 104 can be adjusted toward and away from the registerguides of the press or other machine without altering the operation of the tapes, the carriages 101 and 102 being adjustable longitudinally of the bars 10 for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination with a series of freely-journaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-carrying tapes arranged in a higher plane than and overlapping said series of rollers and adapted to feed sheets over said rollers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination with a series of freely-journaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-carrying tapes arranged to feed sheets over said rollers, and sheet-registering gages, substantially as set forth. I

3. In a sheetconveyer, the combination with a series of freely-journaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-carrying tapes adjustable in the plane of feed with relation to said series of rollers, substantially as set forth.

4. In a sheetconveyer, the combination with ,a series of freely-journaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-registering gages, and sheet-carrying tapes adjustable with relation to said series of rollers toward and away from said gages, substantially as set forth.

5. In a sheet conveyer, the combination with a series of freely-journaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-carrying tapes arranged to feed sheets over said rollers, and means for securing some of said rollers against rotation, substantially as set forth.

6. In a sheetconveyer, the combination with a series of freely-journaled rollers, of sheet-carrying tapes arranged in a higher plane than and overlapping said series of rollers and adapted to feed sheets thereto, and means for adjusting said tapes in the plane of feed with relation to said rollers, substantially as set forth. v

7. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination with a plurality of parallel series of freelyjournaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of sheet-carrying tapes arranged to feed sheets over said parallel series of rollers, substantially as set forth.

8. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination with a plurality of parallel series of freelyjournaled rollers over which sheets may be passed, of suitable sheet-registering gages, sheet-carrying tapes arranged to feed sheets over said parallel series of rollers, and means for adjusting said tapes toward and away from the gages, substantially as set forth.

9. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of a pair of plates or bars, rollers freely journaled between said plates or bars and arranged in a longitudinal series, and means for feeding sheets over said rollers, substantially as set forth.

10. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of a plurality of pairs of plates or bars, rollers freely journaled between said plates or bars and arranged in parallel longitudinal series, and means for feeding sheets over said series of. rollers, substantially as set forth.

11. In a conveyer, the combination of a pair of parallel plates or bars, rollers freely journaled between said plates or bars, means for pair against the rollers to hold them against rotation, sheet-registering gages, sheet-carrying tapes for feeding sheets over said rollers, and means for adjusting said tapes toward and away from the gages, substantially as set forth.

13. In a conveyer, the combination of a pair of parallel plates or bars, rollers freely journaled between said plates or bars, threaded bolts extending through the said plates or bars between said antifriction-rollers, and nuts threaded upon said bolts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

14. In aconveyer, the combination of a supporting-frame, sheet-carrying tapes, tape-supporting rollers, a series of parallel plates or bars, rollers freely journaled in said plates or bars, and rods mounted in said supportingframe upon which said plates or bars are secured, substantially as set forth.

15. In a conveyer, the combination of a supporting-frame, sheet-carrying tapes, tape-supporting rollers, parallel series of rollers freely journaled in said supporting-frame and arrangedto receive sheetsfrom said tapes, and drop-roller delivery mechanism, substantially as set forth.

16. In a conveyer, the combinationof a supporting-frame, sheet-carrying tapes,tape-supporting rollers, parallel series of rollers freely journaled in said supporting-frame and arranged to receive sheets from said tapes, sheetregistering gages, and means for adjusting said tapes toward and away from said gages, and drop-roller delivery mechanism, substantially as set forth.

TALBOT C. DEXTER.

Witnesses:

J. GREEN, WM. E. KNIGHT. 

